Reviews

Maverick composers are set loose to assault traditional styles and even bust the 12-step Western octave.

With programs built around composers such as John Cage, Charles Ives, Meredith Monk, and Lou Harrison, the S.F. Symphony’s three-week “American Mavericks Festival” emerged as one of this conductor’s unmitigated triumphs.

The San Francisco Ballet sets fair Verona aglow as Helgi Tomasson’s Romeo and Juliet returns to the War Memorial Opera House

An esteemed baritone’s long-awaited debut recital raises questions about the gift of communication.

Charm and elegance distinguish performances of Enrique Granados’ scintillating piano suite.

A male vocal ensemble meshes with a young string quartet in compositions based on psalms, a biblical figure, and weather .

The San Jose Chamber Orchestra acquits itself well playing a reduction of Mahler’s score of his Fourth Symphony, revealing insights into the original.

Two long nights at a new-music festival prove to be a trial, leavened by a couple of wake-up works.

First-rate singers contribute to a satisfying and welcoming evening of early music.

In Winterreise, Schubert’s chilling song cycle, two artists prophetically point the way toward places and mysteries that the composer didn’t live long enough to explore.